UNIVERSITY PARK . — Lauryn Hill will perform at 7:30 p.m. May 4 at Penn State’s Bryce Jordan Center.
Hill has been labeled the mother of hip-hop invention with her 1998 solo debut “The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill.” The Fugees’ most vocal member not only established herself as creative force on her own, but also broke new ground by successfully integrating rap, soul, reggae and R&B into her own sound.
Raised in South Orange, N.J., Hill spent her youth listening to her parents’ multi-genre, multi-generational record collection. She began singing at an early age, and was soon snagging minor roles on television (“As the World Turns”) and in film (“Sister Act II: Back in the Habit”). Her on-again, off-again stint in the Fugees began at the age of 13, but was often interrupted by both the acting gigs and her enrollment at Columbia University. After developing a following in the tri-state area, the group’s first release — the much-hyped but uneven “Blunted on Reality” – did not do well nationally, almost causing a breakup. But with the multi-platinum “The Score,” the Fugees achieved international success.
Hill wrote, arranged or produced just about every track on “Miseducation.” At the 1999 Grammy awards, Hill took home five trophies from her 11 nominations, including Album of the Year, Best New Artist, Best Female R&B Vocal Performance, Best R&B Song and Best R&B Album; the most ever for a woman. She continued shaping her solo career; the double-disc “MTV Unplugged No. 2.0” appeared in spring 2002, before she disappeared, by her own choice, from the spotlight.
Hill will be appearing this summer at Bonnaroo, Electric Forest Festival and FloydFest.
Tickets go on sale to the public at 10 a.m. Friday, March 21, at the Bryce Jordan Center, Eisenhower Auditorium, Penn State Downtown Theatre, Altoona Campus Ticket Outlet, online at Ticketmaster.com or by phone at 800-745-3000. Reserved theater seating is $47.50 for the public and $9.50 for University Park students. VIP seating is also available.